Anime in a year in a nutshell

Another year has come to an end, the Japanese regularly created their anime, but in reality, it turned out poorly with hits. However, it is still possible to scrape together something interesting in 12 months. On the eve of the New Year, it’s time to remember the best films and TV shows and make sure that nothing worthwhile is hidden from view and left undeservedly overboard.

With ribbons, the situation is disappointing. “Sword Art Online: Progressive – Aria of the Starless Night” does not pull a full meter, yet Progressive, although it takes readers and viewers to the same Aincrad, however, the narrative is too measured and without the epicness necessary for large screens. In addition, we have already seen all this in the first episodes, and the shift in emphasis to Asuna and the gag does not add variety, but only exacerbates the rejection.

My Hero Academia: World Hero Mission is a cute filler with character designs by Horikoshi Kouhei, but nothing more, so purely for fans of the series. Yes, and the fifth season so far looks more cheerful than usual. A houseboat turned out to be, as expected, a typical work by Studio Colorado with its recognizable style – a story of childhood friendship through the prism of a mystical adventure, quite beautiful, moderately touching, although rather battered and without revelations.

If we talk about the series, then the main event was certainly Cyberpunk: Edge Runners, the joint brainchild of Trigger, CD Projekt RED and Netflix. Almost the only anime of the year that claims to be original and stands out from the crowd. A complete storyline with a predictable ending, sex, and violence, and a stylish video, and audio sequence. Is it any wonder that everyone from Cyberpunk 2020 creator Mike Pondsmith and Kojima Hideo to ordinary otaku around the world was delighted? Not to mention the authenticity with which Night City from Cyberpunk 2077 is recreated and the show is inscribed in the lore of the universe.

Another breath of fresh air was the anime SPY×FAMILY: Spy Family. The hype on this case is more than it deserves, although the thing is quite worthy. For once, an unbeaten story about a spy, a hired killer, and a psychic girl who, in pursuit of their goals, play family. I wouldn’t call the humor sparkling, so the comedy is a little lame, but the character design is on the level and beautifully drawn – it’s not for nothing that Wit Studio and CloverWorks eat their bread. Alas, almost all the other series for the year from the category “it was already in the Simpsons.”

The new version of The Shaman King, completely based on the manga, came out prettier, tougher, and more interesting, but at the same time even more absurd. Perhaps, “I feel like a shaman king” is better than “Listen, villain, I brought your mother.” Although it’s worth a look, if only for the sake of a sense of nostalgia. But the “Platinum Limit” was extremely disappointing: the authors of “Death Note” tried to repeat the success, only this time neither charismatic characters nor a cunningly crafted plot – boredom. Yes, and the bet on the action did not play.

“The Blade that Cuts Demons” quickly became boring: if the first season, with some freshness multiplied by the quality, went to the otaku, then the “Red Light District” passed against the backdrop of the monotonous behavior of the characters and the process of exterminating demons. “Created in the Abyss” is a completely specific thing, and it’s not only about the contrast between children’s graphics and narrative tin, which is only gaining momentum in “The Sun That Flashed in the Golden City”. “Isn’t it bad to look for a mate in a dungeon?” … DanMachi remains DanMachi, thank you, at least we finally remembered that same Dungeon. MAPPA keeps procrastinating the finale of Attack on Titan, while Pierrot, a decade later, very successfully revived Bleach with an adaptation of the Blood War of a Thousand Years arc.

Another return years later, although not as expected, is “Satan’s part-time job!!”. The essence of the anime has not changed, but the change in the studio made the graphics, if not worse, but not too appropriate for this particular case. Boruto, due to the lack of source material, has been mired in fillers for a long time. There is, however, some good news. For example, “My stepmother’s daughter is my ex-girlfriend. ” The title promised all sorts of lewdness, but in practice this matter is kept to a minimum, besides, the plot turned out to be a little deeper than one would expect from a title with such a name. Quite a typical romantic comedy with a decent performance.

“My new maid is very suspicious!” – a bright, colorful, sweet, but stupid comedy about the love of an unknown etymology between a boy and his maid. Suitable for viewing in the background. “Song of the Night Owls” seems very budget-friendly with those static backdrops of the city at night, which are used from series to series, and a minimum of characters. On the other hand, coupled with the color scheme, it turned out to be very stylish and appropriate. In essence, this is an attempt to combine a comedy about bloodsuckers with serious vampire soup, flowing into a rom-com.

“Vermeil in Gold: The Strongest Magician Passes Through the Magical World with the Greatest Catastrophe” is similar in tone to DanMachi. A schoolboy from the local Hogwarts summons a succubus on his head and gets into trouble at school and beyond. Another anime that turned out to be better than expected: visually nothing, funny, a little vulgarity, and a completely digestible plot. And finally, it is worth mentioning the original anime “Children in Orbit”, a debut for both the studio and the director/screenwriter. In Japan, it was shown as two full-length films, while Netflix preferred a six-episode split. Not-so-distant future, a group of kids on a damaged space station, streaming, AI, and some philosophy. The plot is somewhat chaotic, but in the end, it turned out to be decent science fiction – which is already enough to stand out from the background of isekai and adventurers.